The Muckus Ruckus
by Mayhem N. Jeans
Summary: A REINTERPRETATION of smuggler captain Tresse Finn's first meeting meeting with Corso Riggs. While running a normal cargo run on Ord Mantell, Tresse finds herself stuck between a rebellion and betrayal.
1. Chapter 1

Ord Mantell. A serene and peaceful countryside planet with scenic meadows and rustic farms, perfect for a getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life. At least, that's what the travel brochure said. What a hunk of rock, Tresse Finn thought to herself as she eased her thrusters for touch down. Considering that she had just spent the past 10 minutes as a somewhat nervous wreck while navigating through mortar fire as battles were raging, she had expected the surface to be somewhat nice. Well, nicer than grayed fields with only rocks, dry grass, and the occasional ronto to break the monotony. As she peered from her window, she couldn't see why there was such a war going on at all. In fact, she would bet a good 27 credits that the planet was probably much nicer before the war had broken out.

"Oh, well, job's a job," She muttered to herself, locking the brakes, "Not my place to judge, especially with the pretty penny I'm getting a cut of," Once she cleared this job, she'd have a lot more than 27 credits to place abstract bets with. Also, the extra credits would mean no more dehydrated noodle packs for lunch, and dinner.

The tips of her fingers itched as she imagined the ding of 75000 credits being deposited into her account. The money was so close to her, she could practically feel it. All she had to do was talk with the middle man, some punkish dude named Skavak, who seemed to fancy himself as a ladies man, then he would pay her. She would be on her merry way to a pantry full of groceries and some needed repairs on her ship, the Sphincter.

Before she got off the ship, she glanced in the dusty mirror hanging on the wall. From the spots of engine grease and small tears on her shirt, it was looking like she'd also need to go clothes shopping, too. Luckily, her head was freshly buzzed, keeping her from looking too sloppy. She liked keeping her hair shaved close to her skull, only with the barest halo of blonde fuzz. After getting off Hutta years ago, one of the first things she decided was that her silky blonde hair had to go. She never looked back. No longer did she have to comb it or configure ways to keep it from her eyes. Instead, she only had to shave it once a week to keep itchy stubble away. Never mind the added benefit of no longer being ogled at by men like she was a slab of meat on display.

Blaster on her hip, she did a quick ammo check. Things should go smoothly, but there was always that chance that if anything could go wrong, it would. Extra magazines hooked to her belt and a pouch of kolto, she should be fine, "Showtime," She said as she punched the hatch switch open. As the ramp lowered, she could hear chatter and movement. At the bottom, stood a pair of worn boots waiting for her.

"Ah, Captain," A man's cheerful voice greeted, "Glad you could make it. The separatist's sure are making flying difficult," As Tresse walked into the light of the huge flight hangar she had landed in, she could see the person connected to the boots. Definitely Skavak, she recognized his long greasy hair and dramatic tattoo nearly instantly. He was already acquainted with her unusual appearance, so he didn't seem too fazed with her bald head, at least, not this time.

"I've seen worse," She replied shrugging. Casually, she scanned her surroundings. The hangar was big, mostly empty. A few workers were hanging around a pile of cargo containers. They seemed to be waiting to unload her shipment. Skavak motioned for her to follow him. Up close, she could smell the harsh scent of his cologne, probably some cheap aerosol one from the supermarket. She kept her face smooth. It was better he smelled of too much product than of not enough.

"Yeah, you look it," He said offhandedly, "What I mean is, you look like you can handle yourself in a dogfight," He tried to save face, but was not really helping himself.

Tresse raised her hand, "I know what you mean," She said, hushing him with a sharp look, "Now, get your cargo out of my ship so we can get this going. The sooner I'm out of here, the better it will be,"

"Of course, Captain. I don't blame you, I've been trying to get out of here a long time, myself," He picked up his datapad, "It may take a few minutes with the interference, so why don't you go make yourself comfortable in the hangar bay for a while,"

"Fine," She walked over to a pile of crates, hopping up onto one, her legs dangling over the edge. From her perch she could see the whole hangar. The workers she'd seen earlier weren't busy unpacking her ship, though, she noticed. They were still sitting around, smoking and passing around a bottle. Weird, she thought to herself. She would probably be wise to keep an eye on them.

The hangar door swung open behind her, "Skavak, we've got a problem!" A man's voice yelled out, breathless and panicked. Tresse turned to see a man running to Skavak. Skavak stepped out of his office, his brow wrinkled in concern, "Those seps have hijacked the targeting systems and have already downed a Republic cruiser," He was talking a mile a minute, "They're firing at anyone trying to get in or out of the system,"

Tresse was going to mind her own business, but now this seemed to be her concern. She hopped off her perch and made her way over to Skavak and the newcomer.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down, Corso," Skavak said to the man, "Now, start off from the top," He noticed Tresse coming up to them, "Captain, it looks like things won't be going so smooth after all,"

The man, Corso, looked at her with a double take. Not the kind of double take she was used to, having a shaved head and all, either. There was something different in the way he had looked at her that she couldn't place her thumb on, "Ma'am," He nodded his head at her politely. Ma'am? She thought, bewildered. What kind of a guy thought she looked like a lady? "Okay, the seps apparently have a new hacker. They've gained remote control of our anti-artillery cannons. Now they're using those, along with their other ones, to blast everything out of the sky. A Republic cruiser has already been downed about 20 klicks from here,"

"Kriff," Skavak muttered, running his hand through his hair, irritated, "Well, Captain, this is trouble for all of us,"

"I dunno," She crossed her arms, "I made it through before,"

"This isn't just some wildfire. With the Seps armed with our cannons, they'll blast you clear out of the sky before you even get your landing gear up,"

"So, I'm stuck here?" The thought of hanging around this hangar until further notice made her shudder.

"You're not the only one in a jam here. Tell you what," Skavak crossed his arms, "You can handle yourself in a firefight, I can tell. How about we add on an extra 30 percent to your payment if you can take out the cannons?"

Tresse did the math in her head. An extra 30 percent could cover for new landing gear.

"Ah, no," Corso interjected, "We can't send her. No offense, Ma'am," He said quickly to her, "But that just doesn't seem right,"

"Excuse me, but I think I can handle myself out there, Farm Boy," Her pride puffed up. If this guy thought she was one of those dainty girls, he was dead wrong. She'd do the job for free just to prove him wrong.

He flinched at her sharp words, blush rising in his face. Now she felt a little bad, which was odd in and of itself. "What I meant was that this isn't your fight, and you don't know your way around these parts,"

Oh. That made sense, she supposed, "The moment those guys started shooting at me made this my fight. Make it an extra 45 percent, and I'll leave them hurting for months,"

Corso seemed resigned in the argument. Skavak was calculating how much 45 percent would be, "Deal," Skavak announced, "I'll give you a marked map. The cannons were controlled with a remote transmitter not too far off from here. Either remove the hacking data or destroy it. Come back when you're finished and I'll give you your payment, with the bonus in cash,"

"I can go with her," Corso chirped up, but Skavak shook his head.

"Nah, according to a scout, we may have seps running here soon enough. You need to stay here to hold down the hangar," Corso frowned, but did not argue. He didn't seem like the arguing type.

"Alright, gentlemen," Tresse clapped her hands, "Get ready to see some impressive blaster action,"

"Hope to see you in one piece, Captain," Corso said, giving her a friendly smile. He wasn't a bad type, she decided, just a little antiquated in his view on women. Without thinking, she smiled back at him.

"C'mon, Corso," Skavak said, pulling him away. Tresse turned to leave the hangar. Go into a town she had never been to before and destroy a cannon remote transmitter that may be heavily guarded?

She's done crazier for less.


	2. Chapter 2

So far, it wasn't too bad. The path that the map was taking her seemed to be a back road. Tresse walked along it, hardly seeing another soul. But she could hear the faintest echo of a firefight, probably resonating from over the hill beside her. That was most likely where everyone else was at, she decided. According to the GPS, she only had about a kilometer left before she reached the village. If things kept going like they were, she would have those credits in no time.

Just as she thought those words, she heard a thunder of engine sounds behind her. She whirled around to see what was coming at her. A convoy was charging at her at full speed. From the lack of Republic insignia on it, she guessed it was a separatist vehicle. Which meant it was time to duck. Twisting her body, she jumped off the road, ducking herself into a sparse bush. Crouching down behind the bush, she hoped they hadn't seen her. She held her breath and blaster tight as they passed by.

Either they didn't see her or didn't care, but they kept driving. Not in the mood to tempt fate, she stayed hidden in the bush until they vanished from sight. Counting down by threes from a hundred, she decided it was clear enough to go. Bits of twigs and dirt stuck to her already messy clothes, so she brushed them off while climbing out of the bush. Now there was new rip on her pants, small but still annoying. Of course, with the increase in her pay, she could afford to buy a whole new outfit, so it was only a small loss. Maybe she'll get something blue this time, instead of this clearance priced beige disaster she currently was wearing. She liked blue.

When she finally had an idea of what additions she wanted to make to her wardrobe, Tresse found herself at the edge of the town. It was an older town, wore out from years of dry winds and the recent war. Like the rest of this planet, it was faded gray. Another glance at her map told her that the remote center was going to be right in the middle of the town square. So, now she would just have to sneak in amongst all the seps and simply waltz up and jam the jammer. Good thing the walk here was fairly easy because this part was going to be a doozy.

Double checking her weapons, she casually walked through the gate. Head high, she did her best to exude an air of confidence. If she acted like she belonged there, then people would be less likely to question her presence. However, everyone around seemed to be too busy with their own troubles to notice her. Families were rushing around her, trying to keep track of their children. Sep soldiers stood at the corners, threatening with their bayonets. Ronto drawn wagons filled with worldly possessions nearly trampled her. Basically, the entire town was in chaos. The seps must have been taking it over, and anyone who didn't like it was high tailing out. Keeping her head down, she navigated the crowd.

Tresse had almost made it to the center when an armed soldier stepped in front of her, "Where you going, girl?" He growled at her. He was a big guy and definitely grumpy. His bayonet shined in the sunlight.

She looked at the ground, holding her arms around herself, "Finding my father," She whimpered as pitifully as she could.

The soldier laughed, unkindly, "Right, good luck with that. Now scat before I gut you," He grabbed her arm, ushering her away.

"Please, don't!" She cried out, still keeping the lost girl persona. Twisting her arm, she struggled to shake his grip. He laughed even more and pushed her to the ground. Genuinely losing her balance, Tresse fell into a puddle of rain water and ronto dung. Now her clothes were covering in mucky slime. She sat, stunned, her heart starting to race. Her fists clenched the mud as she turned to face the guard as he walked away, guffawing, "Cripes," She muttered, pulling out her blaster. She hated being angry, but this fine gentleman had just earned her scorn, "Hey, come back and try that again!" She yelled at him. He turned, confused at her sudden spite. For a moment, he considered turning away until he saw the blaster in her hand aiming at him.

"Why, you little-"He pointed the bayonet at her. But since he had been so focused on her blaster, he didn't notice the hard clump of mud in her other hand. She flung it, grinning as it splattered across his face, covering his eyes, "Oi! Get her!" He yelled to his compatriots as he scraped the filth from his eyes. Several soldiers turned to face her. All were armed.

Cripes.

Tresse spun on her heel, charging away from the brawl and to the remote center. Time to modify her plan since her stupid compulsive need of justice had basically blown her original plan to bits. Instead of strategy, it was time for pizzazz and explosions. The guards raced after her, the crowds making it impossible for them to shoot at her. Bobbing and weaving through the crowd, Tresse pushed and pulled people out of her way.

Racing to what looked to be most promising as the remote center, she pulled out two grenades from her ammo pouch. Without stopping, she tossed them through the open window right into the control setter. She twisted sharp to the left, away from the building, and grabbed her detonator. Pressing the switch, the explosion surged, the wave knocking her and everyone in the square off their feet. Landing in another nasty puddle, she scrambled back up, grabbing a different kind of grenade. The guards were quickly regrouping as they realized she had just destroyed their super weapon. No longer interested in arresting her, they fired shots at her. One bolt skimmed her arm, but she ignored the burning pain and kept running. Every couple paces, she dropped another one of her special grenades onto the ground. She jumped over the fallen citizens, "Excuse me!" She apologized as her boot skimmed someone's head. They grunted angrily at her. Deciding that she was far enough away, she clicked her detonator again.

The grenades flashed hot white as they spouted out a thick gray smoke. The smoke clouded over everyone's vision, but she ran just ahead of its blinding gas. More shots were fired, but they all missed. She kept running, through the gate and back onto the road. Behind her, she could hear the sep soldiers yelling as they struggled to follow her. She needed to get off the open road, fast, or else she was a sitting duck.

Veering from the path, Tresse hopped back into the brush, vegetation clinging to her filthy clothes. Sure, she smelled nasty, but the muck would block her scent in case they got hounds after her. Suddenly, however, the ground vanished beneath her feet as she unwittingly ran over an open ravine. She fell straight down, not having time to scream or catch herself before she landed smack into a creek.

Water rushed up her nostrils as she struggled to get up. Coughing, she looked up and realized she had fallen into a drainage ditch. And a drainage ditch meant a culvert pipe would be near. Slightly less than perfect, she decided, but she'd take it. She splashed through the water that was up to her knees, scanning for a pipe. Finally, she saw one not too far off.

Tresse dragged her soaking body into it, trying her best not to gag on the stench of the pipe. Hunching forward to avoid touching her head on the top of the pipe, she hurried in until it became too dark to really see anything. She crouched down, cold mud up to her ankles, and waited. She could hear the trample of soldiers racing after her on the road above her, but after a couple minutes, everything grew quiet.

Counting backwards again, this time by threes from three-hundred, she waited until she was comfortable with the security of her position. Careful not to get her comm wet, she pulled it out of her pocket, dialing Skavak's frequency.

"Captain!" His voice bellowed in the cavernous pipe, startling her. Quickly, she turned the volume way down, "I've already heard what you did. Blew up the control center, now the Republic can get their cannons back. Impressive. Plus, you managed to incite a riot in the town. Bonus-,"

Before he could continue his rant, Tresse interrupted him, "Yeah, yeah, I know, yay me. But right now I'm cornered and literally ankle deep in dung. Wanna offer me a hand?"

Corso appeared next to Skavak, "Hey Captain, I can come get you. Upload your coordinates and I'll come for you as fast as I can,"

Great. Sweet farm boy was going to come get her and be all nice and gentlemanly. He was a nice guy, but definitely unnerved her, "Fine. But don't take all day,"

"Be there in a sec!" He eagerly ran from the holo view.

Skavak shook his head, "Nice kid, but a little too soft for his own good,"

"No kidding,"

He hung up, leaving her to wait for her knight in shining armor to pick her up.


	3. Chapter 3

Five minutes later, Tresse could hear the sounds of a speeder bike hovering near the pipe. She crept to the mouth of the pipe, blaster in hand, to see if it was Corso or the Seps.

"Captain?"

That was the farm boy's deep drawling voice, "In here, hang on," She called back, her voice reverberating in the tunnel.

He stuck his head in the opening, blocking the already dim light, "Whoosh, smells worse than the ronto stables after a summer rain!"

"You have no idea how aware of that I am," She replied. Reaching the end of the tunnel, she glanced apprehensively down at the five foot drop. Corso offered his hand to help her down. Ignoring it, she hopped out, landing clumsily in the creek. Her foot landed on a wobbly stone, causing her to stumble. Much to her irritation, before she could fall into the creek water, Corso caught her. His arms were awfully strong, but he had a gentle grip on her.

"Steady there," He said, guiding her back onto her feet. He looked at her the same way he did before, as if he was awed, even though she was plastered with nasty mud this time. Then he saw her wounded arm, "Whoa, they got you pretty good. I better get you back to the hangar so you can get patched up. That could get infected really fast unless we take care of it now,"

She pulled her arm away from him, trying not to wince. Now that the rush of adrenaline was gone, she was very aware of the injury. It was burned pretty badly by the lucky blaster shot, plus her romp in the ronto dung wasn't doing it any favors. Still, she wasn't going to let him see her hurt, "It's just a scratch," She muttered, covering it with her hand.

"A scratch that'll turn into a festering wound before the sun goes down," He stepped back from her, an acknowledgement of her not wanting to be touched, "Come on, Captain,"

Corso lead her a few feet down the stream where a handsome speeder bike was parked. It looked freshly cleaned and waxed, the leather seats in pristine condition. The thought of sitting on it in her wet and muddy condition seemed almost criminal. He must have thought the same thing as he pulled a thick blanket from the cargo compartment. As he set it, he glanced at her, noticing her awe of the bike, "Ain't she a beauty?" He was almost glowing with pride, "I've had her for years, was my father's before it was passed down to me,"

"Certainly is a good looking bike," She tried to act nonchalant, but the bike was incredible, like something from the holo magazines she used to read for hours, drooling over the gorgeous machinery. Its red paint shined bright and glossy, like a candied apple glistening in the sunlight. There wasn't a sign of rust; the only blemish was some mud most likely from his ride over.

"Pa called her Ruby,"

"It suits her,"

Careful not to disturb her arm, Tresse climb over the seat of the bike, straddling it. Corso hopped in front of her. She could smell the filth on her, and the mud was drying to a crust. The day she finally gets to ride the bike of her dreams, and she's cranky, dirty, and hurt. Typical.

Revving the engines, which roared before settling into a delicious purr, Corso gently eased the bike out of the ditch. It handled like a dream. As it climbed over the ditch's edge, Tresse felt herself slipping, "You can hang on if you need to," Corso said over his shoulder, "I need to get these clothes washed anyways,"

Her stomach lurched, but she was about to slide off the bike, back into the mud, so she reluctantly wrapped her arms around his waist, barely touching. Once again, Tresse found herself incredibly aware of Corso's impressively muscular physique. Refusing to let herself dwell too much on him, she refocused her attention on the bike. The bike glided over the ground, humming like a happy tiger.

Not after too long, they reached the hangar. After the ride in the warm wind, the mud on Tresse's clothes had hardened almost completely. As she hopped off Corso's bike, she crunched with every step, flakes of filth falling off of her like a dirty rain cloud.

Corso watched her stiff steps as she struggled to walk, trying not to smile. The corners of his mouth twitched, but he put up a valiant effort. She was sure she looked comical, "Uh, Captain. I'm gonna go park Ruby, so you head into the hangar to see Skavak. You need any help getting over there?"

"I'm good," She replied, waving him away with her hand. The hangar wasn't too far, she could stagger over there. Once she got the payment negotiated, she was flying off this rock and heading straight for the refresher.

Pushing open the heavy hangar door, Tresse was greeted by a round of snickers. The workers, still having not unloaded her cargo, stared at her muddy appearance. She responded with a death stare in their direction, prompting them to turn back to their drinks and smoke. Skavak was leaving his little office, his arms crossed. He was also struggling not to laugh, "Well, captain, you certainly exceeded my expectations,"

"I outdid myself, really I did," She wasn't in the mood for small talk. She was in the mood for cold cash and a hot shower, "Let's talk payment,"

He frowned, "I talked to my employers while you were out playing in the mud. With the rise in sep activity, they won't be able to pick up your cargo for a couple days. And our policy is not to pay you until we have the cargo in hand,"

"What?" She stammered, "But, you have the cargo right there if someone would unload it," She gestured at the stagnant workers, who ignored her.

"These aren't people you argue with, sweetheart. But I realize what a pinch you're in, so I negotiated. Help us defend the hangar and the cargo, Captain, and they will give you an additional fifty percent raise, along with your original, plus the forty-five,"

Tresse was silent as she struggled to do the math in her head. The original price of 75000 plus forty-five plus fifty percent. That would bring her total price up to 146,250. She tried not to balk at the number. She had never seen that many credits, let alone earned that on one job, "Done," She reached out to shake with Skavak on the deal, but he looked at her muddy hand in slight disgust.

"Why don't you go clean up, then we can discuss the battle plan,"

She nodded her head in agreement, "Definitely,


	4. Chapter 4

After tossing her clothes into the small washing machine on her ship and taking a nice, hot shower, Tresse slipped into her more casual clothes. These were not meant for action, but rather for lounging. Skinny black stretch pants paired with a loose shirtdress, she felt awkward leaving her ship wearing it. For the sake of security, she strapped her blaster holster on and shrugged on her vest. Her arm was somewhat sloppily bandaged. First aid wasn't exactly her best skill, but she had a manual she planned on reading someday, maybe she'd have the time after she was done being shot at every day.

Back in the hangar, she saw Corso and Skavak poring over a holo map. Corso glanced up when he glimpsed her coming in. His eyes widened slightly, the same way they do each time he sees her. Now in her lounge clothes, she felt incredibly exposed and awkward. With a quick check to her chrono, she saw that the laundry should be done in about twenty more minutes. Sighing, she looked back to the two men, "Gentlemen," She nodded, "Tell me what the situation is,"

"Well," Skavak said, tapping his chin in concentration, "Looks like, if our reports are correct and the seps follow their usual strategy, they'll be here in time to join us for lunch,"

"I'm gonna make my special," Corso boasted, patting his blaster, "Country fried Ronto steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, and a side of blaster bolts to the face, and hot pudding for dessert," The grin on his face was unusual for him, grim and almost vicious, Tresse noticed.

"That'll give them indigestion for sure. Sounds perfect to me," She replied.

"Right, right," Skavak said, "You kids can share recipes later. I've got to go speak with our proud sponsors for a minute, so just hang out here," Pulling out his comm, he walked back to his office, leaving Corso and Tresse.

Corso rocked on his heels, humming offhandedly, "Ah," He finally spoke up, "Did you get your arm bandaged up?"

She looked down at her arm, which was actually feeling swollen and achy, "Um, I did kind of a hack job, but yeah,"

"We've got a pretty good first aid kit here. Come on and we can get it cleaned up real good. Who knows what kind of infection you could have picked up out there?"

Tresse followed him to the little first aid station on the far end of the hangar bay. As he opened up the kit and started pulling out various gauzes and kolto creams, "So, are you some kind of medic?" She asked him, sitting down on a crate.

He chuckled, "Far from it. But after growing up on the farm and spending some time in the militia, you pick up a few tidbits of knowledge," She rolled her sleeve up as he carried over the stuff. For a minute, he looked nervous, rubbing his hands together, as though he wasn't sure where to start. As careful as he could, he gently tugged off her sloppy bandage. The elastic pulled at her skin, but Corso was surprisingly delicate, for such a rugged farm boy type.

The wound was vividly red against her skin, which was a tender pink. Even though the injury was only a couple hours old, it was already getting pussy around the edges. As Corso pulled the bandage off, it stung. Caught off guard by the pain, Tresse reflexively hissed. He blew a whistle as he inspected the injury, "Wow, Captain, you certainly don't do anything half-heartedly," He picked up an anti-bac wipe and started to clean the area. The wipe was cold, but felt good against the feverish skin, "I heard the reports," He continued, "It was incredible. You managed to blow up the control station single handedly and evade a whole squad of sep soldiers. In fact, your wildness made enough chaos in the town that the people were able to revolt and take down the seps there,"

"What can I say? I aim to inspire rebellion," She said, shrugging nonchalantly.

He chuckled, "Don't play modest, captain. You saved that town, plus stopped the seps from blasting everyone out of the sky," She accidentally caught his gaze. His brown eyes were intense as he admired her, as though she was actually a hero, "Since you've not been around, you don't know what you saved those people from. You saved them from being pillaged, raped, and murdered. The seps don't play nice to anyone who disagrees with them,"

Color rose in her cheeks. This farm boy was acting like she was a saint, when she was just doing it for the credits. She wasn't sure what cloud his head was in, but there was something almost contagious about his optimism. For a moment of listening to him speak, she almost believed she was a hero. Ready to smear on the kolto cream, Corso looked hesitant to touch her. He actually blushed a little, much to her amusement. After a second of contemplating, he finally just patted the cool cream onto her arm. His fingertips were warm and rough against her skin, but were soft.

"I'm just doing what has to be done," She muttered. She really didn't want the poor kid to think she was something other than the down on her luck pilot who was willing to risk head and limb for a pile of credits she was.

"Even if you don't believe it," He continued, "Those people back there do. Heck, if they survive this war, they'll probably tell their grandchildren about the mysterious bald girl who saved them-"

"Look, farm boy," She finally had to let him down, she couldn't let him go on, "I'm not a hero. If those people think that, then they're wrong. I hate to tell you, but I'm just trying to make some credits so I can scrape by in this galaxy,"

He looked slightly taken aback by her harshness, but was still resilient, "Then tell me, Captain, why are you still here? You've already earned the credits, just dump the cargo out yourself and leave if you don't care," Now he was almost angry sounding, "But you haven't. You're sticking around, risking your hide for a world you're not a part of. Any other smart pilot would have long hauled jets out of here," He picked up the gauze and started wrapping her arm, no longer tender but more aggressive as he became agitated, "Anyone else would have realized by now that the credits just aren't worth it. You're smart, I can tell, so why are you still here?"

He stared her down, fire flickering in his eyes. She couldn't look away from his intense stare that seemed to bore into her tar black soul, couldn't think of anything to say back. He still held her arm, his face only inches away from hers. For a second, she considered punching him and pulling away, but something kept her there.

"Uh, excuse me," Skavak had reappeared, looking between the both of them, brow arched quizzically,

"Don't mean to interrupt, but I've got some news," Corso let go of her arm, blushing even more than before, "My employers want to modify the drop point to a warehouse a few kilos from her. If you don't mind to, Captain, take the cargo over there. Once that's done, you can be on your merry way,"

Tresse stood up, pulling her sleeve back down, "That sounds better," She replied, not wanting to look at Corso, but she still did. He was staring at his worn boots, jaw and fists clenched, "I'm sorry, Corso," She heard herself say, feeling as though she was a million miles away. Why was she apologizing? Technically speaking, she had already done more than her fair share for him.

Shaking his head, Corso stood up, still not looking at her, "No need to explain, Captain. It's not the first time I've made the wrong idea, besides, we've all gotta take care of ourselves," He walked away, pushing past her and Skavak.

They watched him walk away. Skavak chuckled, "What's eating him?" Tresse said nothing and stared at the wall beyond Skavak's shoulder, "Never mind, I'll give you the coordinates so you can head out. Been good working with you, Captain. Maybe we'll do business again someday,"

Chances were if things worked her way even though they rarely do, she was never going to come back to this planet, "Not likely. I could almost retire after this,"

He turned to walk back to his office. Then he stopped, glancing over his shoulder, "Who knows, you probably will be retired after this run," He laughed, clearly tickled by whatever he had said.


	5. Chapter 5

Whatever he found so amusing, she didn't get, so she just walked back to the Sphincter. Sitting back down in her cushy pilots' seat, Tresse felt already more relaxed and back in control. The coordinates weren't far off, like Skavak had said. In moments, she found herself hovering over a similar but more deteriorated hangar.

Alarms went off in the back of her head. This hangar was definitely shadier than the other one. Carefully, she maneuvered the Sphincter into the docking area, which was dark and quiet. Locking the brakes, but leaving everything else in place in case she needed to make a quick getaway, she double checked her blaster before walking out.

Her footsteps echoed as she cautiously treaded down her landing ramp. No one was there to greet her, "Hello?" She called out, keeping the nervousness from her voice, "Anyone here?" Silence answered her reply, "Okay…I'm just gonna leave the stuff here for you, I guess," The idea alone of manually unloading the cargo herself made her back ache, but she knew that the sooner she got out, the better.

"Not so fast," A grumbly voice rumbled behind her. Not even thinking, she twisted around, swinging her fist in the voices direction. She felt her fist collide with cartilage, flesh, and teeth. Her attacker grunted, falling back. From the sounds in the darkness, she guessed she was possibly surrounded. A strong hand grabbed the back of her shirt, pulling her off the landing ramp. With a winding gasp, she thudded on the ground. In one hand, she pulled out her blaster, the other pulled out her ship remote key. Blindly shooting, she frantically pushed buttons on the remote.

With a whoosh, the Sphincter's headlights roared to life, illuminating the entire room. Also, everyone, but Tresse who had covered her face in bracing for it, was briefly blinded. She jumped back to her feet, firing her blaster at the thugs. She recognized them as some of the workers from Skavak's hangar. What is going on here?

The majority, about five, were huddled together as they tried to rub out the spots in their eyes. They were also standing at the base of a rather large pile of crates. On a whim, Tresse aimed her blaster at a box teetering near the top. Three shots and it started to crash down. Each time it hit one, anther box would join it in a plastisteel avalanche. The thugs didn't even have time to see the boxes coming to rain down on their heads.

Whirling around, she faced the final two contenders. They approached her, angry about being blinded and their pals crushed. One was a human, dark and scraggly with a bloody nose and the other was a blue Twi'lek. Aiming her blaster between the two of them, she demanded, "Who sent you?"

"I ain't talking," The scraggly one said. Shaking her head and subtly switching her blaster to stun, she stared at the Twi'lek as she shot the scraggly punk in the forehead. Unconscious, he dropped to the ground like a rock.

She pointed at the Twi'lek, "Well?" She asked again.

His eyes widened, almost tripling in size, "Skavak!" He cried out, raising his hands. His voice was thickly accented Basic, "Skavak is boss!"

"Is that so?" She clicked the hammer on the trigger.

He whimpered, "Yes, I swear! He has bigger boss, works for them. Wants cargo with no charge for big new boss, so you all need be dead. Then he leave with goods,"

To say the least, she was flabbergasted. That dirty, slimy crook double crossed her. But what else did that mean? "What about Corso?"

"He too soft, boss say. Useless do-gooder. Skavak plan to 'clean floor with him,'"

Cripes. So, Corso was in the same trouble as she was. Finished with her interrogation, she stunned the Twi'lek. Running back to her ship, she struggled to make up her mind. Skavak was planning to bump her off, along with Corso. If he hadn't made his move yet, Corso was in danger, unless Skavak had already taken care of the farm boy. But he's pretty tough looking, she thought as she stared at the navi computer. Does she go back to stop Skavak or mind her own business and leave? If Skavak jumped Corso the same way he had her jumped, Corso might not have much of a chance. Besides, like everyone thought, Corso was a little soft. He probably trusted Skavak way too much, leaving him vulnerable to ambush.

But if she went back, who was to say that she herself wouldn't die? Everyone's luck eventually runs out, and she was careless about spending hers. Especially today, she'd already been attacked twice before dinner time. The chances of surviving three gunfights with impossible odds in one day were ridiculously slim. It wasn't her duty to keep sticking her neck out for other people. The galaxy was a crappy place. Nice people get hurt all the time, sometimes even die. It was illogical to get worked up about it. She would be best off to just cut her losses and leave him to fend for himself.

Then why are you still here? She heard Corso's voice echo in her head.

"Aw, cripes," she muttered, clicking in her destination.


	6. Chapter 6

The hangar doors were shut, presumably sealed, too. Tresse huffed, landing the Sphincter away from it. Ideally, Skavak was going to be too busy taking care of Corso, he wouldn't have anyone watching the camera. It wasn't going to be easy, just waltzing up to the hangar where she had a death warrant on her shaven head. Her best shot was going to be just run before they could see her. And those 'run and pray' plans were the worst, signs of sloppy desperation. "Whatever," She announced to herself. There was no walking away from this.

Barely cracking open the landing ramp in order to avoid the loud grinding sound it made, Tresse shimmied out and landed on the ground. She glanced around, checking for any charging thugs. Clear. She had about a twenty meter run. If she kept her head low in the tall grass, she actually had a chance of going undetected. Unless, of course, she had already been spotted, then she was just getting more ticks.

Tresse reached the small side door. Still hunched over, with her blaster in hand, she carefully pulled the knob open. No one yelled or shot her face off, so she took that as a sign it was clear. Creeping in, she straightened up, aimed blaster in front of her. The bay was empty. No dead bodies around, so that was a good sign she decided.

She walked to where she last saw Corso as he had angrily stalked away from her. Cripes, if this worked out, the poor kid was going to be even more fixated with his idea of her being a hero. She'd never be able to knock that notion out of his head after this.

Tiptoeing the dim hallway, Tresse scanned the area for signs of a struggle. No blood, no burn marks, no bodies, so still okay. Just before she gave up, deciding he wasn't here anymore, she heard a faint groan beyond the door. Ready for a trap, she swung open the door.

Corso was lying against the wall, hands tied and a black eye swelling. A tiny dribble of crusty blood ran from his nose. Bleary eyed, he looked at her, blinking confusedly, "Captain?" He mumbled.

"Hey there, farm boy," She said, kneeling down next to him, untying his wrists. They were swollen from the rough cord, "They sure jumped you good,"

"Feels like a Gundark used my skull as a drum," He groaned, massaging his wrists. "Yeah, Skavak's cronies jumped me. I heard they were going after you, too,"

Tresse chuckled darkly, "Makes it my third narrow escape today," She offered her hand to him to pull up. He tried to ignore it, but as before he stumbled, he accepted her hand. How ironic, she noted.

"You should have left, Skavak is out with a hunting team looking for you," After a moment, his head seemed to clear. He looked at her, earnestly concerned.

"He better be looking for me, 'cause when I find him, he's got some serious explaining to do. It wasn't wise of him to promise me over 100,000 credits and think that he'll just walk away. I'm not a woman to be toyed with,"

"Certainly not," Corso chuckled, but winced at the pain in his head.

"Let's go fix you up, first though, farm boy,"

"I'll be fine, I can walk it off," He said as he promptly stumbled.

She caught him again, "Don't be so prideful," She scolded.

"You're calling the pot black, kettle," But he accepted that he needed help, so she draped his arm over her shoulder, propping him up, and they started out. She decided to ignore his comment and focused on getting him out of there. If she could get him to her ship where he could recuperate, then they would go get Skavak.


	7. Chapter 7

"Not so fast, Captain,"

Tresse groaned as Skavak stepped in front of her and Corso, holding his blaster in her face, "Oh. There you are," She grumbled, "Was wondering when you'd show up,"

His smile was as slick and greasy as his hair, "It wasn't very nice of you to run away from my men like that,"

"I wasn't aiming to be nice. Besides, I'm pretty sure having me ambushed ranks a little higher on the rudeness scale,"

"All depends on your perspective," He shrugged, "But the past is the past. What I'm concerned about now is the cargo aboard your ship. My cargo,"

Pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head, she sighed, "Look, all you had to have done was not flipping shoot me in the face and just pay me exactly what you promised. Then we wouldn't have had any of these issues,"

"Look, Captain, nothing personal here. I'm just practicing good business skills and saving money. Budget cuts have to be made, and you are now considered 'frivolous.'"

"Frivolous?" She repeated, "Never have I ever been called that. Skavak, you have one more chance before I blow your head off," She pulled her free blaster out, aiming in his face, "Extra 30 percent on top of everything you offered me, and we'll call it even,"

Tense seconds passed by as they stared each other down. Corso still hung onto her, glancing nervously between Skavak and Tresse. Neither seemed willing to back down.

"How about 15 and I let you both go?" Skavak offered.

She glanced at Corso, his swollen eye and crusty nose, "Fine, I can deal-"

She didn't finish her sentence as Skavak jumped at her, ready to pistol whip. Pushing Corso away from her, she twisted the other way as Skavak missed, "Okay, fine, no deal here, scum sucker!" She yelled angrily. Few things made her angrier than cheap shots.

Slamming her whole body into Skavak, she shoved him against the wall, punching her knee into his gut. At first taken by surprise by the ferocity of her attack, he recovered, grabbing her throat. Whirling around, he swung her into the wall, holding her up as her legs flailed. Dark spots clouded her vision as she struggled to dig her nails into his face.

Suddenly, Corso stood up and wrapped his strong arm around Skavak's neck, pulling him away. He held Skavak's throat in the crook of his elbow, clutching his own wrist to hold tighter. Skavak tried to fight the farm boy, losing his grip on Tresse. She slid to the ground, recovering and coughing. Skavak reached behind, punching Corso in the face, but he was not letting go, even as fresh welts rose on his face.

Finally, Skavak's eyes bulging out, he choked and gargled until he stopped moving. Corso let him go, the thug landing on the floor. Tresse and Corso stood over them, she holding her blaster over his head.

"He's still alive, Captain," Corso said. Exhausted, he leaned against the wall, doubled over as he gulped air, "What's your plan?" He looked up at her, his face swollen and discolored.

Tresse toyed with the trigger, gnawing her lip, "Leave him," She finally replied, tucking her blaster back into its holster, "Let him tell all his friends not to double cross me. If he shoves his slimy face in my business again, though, then we can blast him to next week,"

"Sounds fair enough, I suppose,"

"Don't worry about him. Let's get you some meds," Tresse said, turning away. Skavak's comm started buzzing. They looked at it where it had fallen a few feet away from him, "Could be his boss," She said as she picked up off the ground and answered it.

A handsome man with a fine suit, his hair a distinguished gray, was on the other line. His dark eyes didn't seem fazed as she answered it.

"Skavak won't be available for a few hours," She said, "And I'm no secretary, so sorry, call back later," Just as her thumb reached for the end call button, the man spoke.

"I know, Captain Finn, I was calling because I wanted to tell you something,"

"Me?" She asked, shocked.

"Yes, you. I wanted you to know that I saw what you just did to my men. You know, labor is expensive these days. However, I am extremely impressed with your performance. Same to you, Mr. Riggs," He said to Corso, who just looked dumbstruck, "I am going to make you an offer, Captain. There are several new spots open in my organization. If you both accept, then I will allow you to live. Reject my offer, and well, must it be said?"

"What kind of an organization needs 5000 kilos of ammo and firearms and is willing to kill people for it? I only transported this for an army, not a gang,"

"We're not a gang, we're a revolution. This is your only opportunity to become our ally, Captain Finn, otherwise you will be our enemy. When the tides change, you will drown without us,"

Corso looked at Tresse, "I don't like the sounds of this," He said quietly.

"Me either," She replied to him, "Sorry, mister whatever, but I don't plan on being a part of your 'revolution,'"

"Then you both will die,"

"Wasn't planning on living forever, anyways," She snapped off the comm. She sighed, "Your friends certainly ruined my day," She said to Corso as she offered her arm to him to hold on.

"No friends of mine," He leaned carefully on her, trying to keep most his weight off of her. Stars, why did he have to be such a stubborn gentleman? "But what's your plan now?"

"Not my first death threat. Heck, not even my first one for today. If I lay low for a little bit, everyone will inevitably forget I exist. What about you? Where will you go?"

He looked out at the Ord Mantell landscape as she ushered him back to her ship for first aid, "I don't know. Not sure I ought to stay here…There's not much left here for me but hard memories," His voice trailed off.

"I've got a spare cabin if you need somewhere to hang out for a while," She said faster than she realized. Well, that was a stupid thing to say, she scolded herself. His brown eyes widened like a lost puppy.

"Really, Captain?" He exclaimed, "I think that would be a good plan! I mean," He calmed down a little,

"Since we're staying in different cabins, of course, otherwise it would be indecent," Blush rose in his cheeks. She fought the urge to roll her eyes, "But, gee, this is great,"

"I'm glad you think so," She kept her voice enthusiastic, even though she was dying a tiny bit inside. She liked him plenty, don't be mistaken, but stars did he wear her out. Now she was going to have to share the Sphincter with someone and a boy nonetheless. Thoughts of upturned toilet seats and weird smells filled her mind. He'd be always hovering around, opening doors and smiling at her. Cripes, he'd probably be the type to make breakfast, too. Only temporary, then he'll get bored of me, she promised herself. After that, he'd be gone, leaving her back to her own devices.

It couldn't be for forever, right?


End file.
